MONROE COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE

General Order


CHAPTER:

045

TITLE:

School Crossing Guards

EFFECTIVE DATE:

November 14, 2017

NO. PAGES:

3

REVIEWED/REVISED:

November 29, 2022


Sheriff of Monroe County

RESCINDS:



  1. PURPOSE: The purpose of this directive is to establish guidelines for School-Crossing Guards.


  2. DISCUSSION: This directive shall apply to all Sheriff's Office personnel. The School-Crossing Guards are highly visible representatives of the Sheriff's Office who are responsible for the safety of children at street crossings near schools. School-crossing guards should not direct traffic in the usual regulatory sense. Their role is to expedite the movement of children to and from school by creating gaps in traffic.


  3. POLICY AND PROCEDURE


    1. School Crossing Guards

      1. Assignment: A school-crossing guard shall be present at his/her duty post at the specified time outlined in the employment assignment. School-crossing guard locations are established by the Sheriff's Office following requests by school officials and a traffic study, which is conducted by the Sheriff's Office Traffic Unit.


      2. Training: Regardless of population and salary, all school crossing guards shall receive:


        1. Initial state-certified training

        2. Recertification/evaluation


      3. Familiarity With Area of Post: A school-crossing guard shall familiarize himself/herself with the location and purpose of street and traffic signs (such as school signs and speed limit signs) within his/her assigned area. He/she shall make a report to their immediate supervisor if such signs are missing or damaged.


    2. Law Enforcement


      1. School-crossing guards are not law enforcement officers. They are part-time, employees for the performance of specific duties. School-crossing guards are not permitted to carry weapons of any kind.


      2. School-crossing guards shall not attempt to apprehend law violators. School- crossing guards have no arrest powers. (The State of Florida recognizes the right of a private citizen to make an arrest when a felony is committed in his/her presence. Private Citizens have no right to arrest for misdemeanors, including traffic offenses, other than by warrant.)


      3. Upon request, a school-crossing guard shall give his/her name in a respectful manner.


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      4. A school-crossing guard who experiences any difficulty with the public shall file a written report of the incident with his/her supervisor as soon as he/she is relieved from the post.


      5. School-crossing guards shall be alert for emergency vehicles (fire trucks, ambulance, police cars) and shall clear the road of children, keeping them off the shoulder of the road until such vehicles have passed.


    3. Crossing Procedure


      1. The School-Crossing Guard shall cross school children only when traffic is clear, taking advantage of lapses in the flow of traffic, unless such traffic is so congested that crossing of children is impossible without stopping traffic.


      2. School-crossing guards shall, when the school zone becomes blocked with traffic, use their best effort to aid the drivers of vehicles to proceed.


      3. School-crossing guards shall stop vehicular traffic for school children wishing to cross the zone.


      4. Children wishing to cross shall assemble on the sidewalk or shoulder of the road.


      5. School-crossing guards shall wait for a sufficient break in moving traffic and then walk briskly to the center of the road and hold arms up in the "STOP" position.


      6. School-crossing guards shall give a clear and definite signal, with the hands well above the shoulder. Children shall not be permitted to cross without the school-crossing guard in the roadway.


      7. The whistle should be used only as a means of attracting attention of motorists.


      8. When all traffic is stopped or when the road is clear of vehicles, signal the children to cross. Instruct the children to walk, not run, when they cross the street. Bicycles shall be walked across intersections.


      9. When children are safely across, signal the vehicles to proceed while resuming the original position on the sidewalk or shoulder of the road. (This does not apply to the designated crossings where traffic control is the assigned post.)


    4. It is the responsibility of the School Crossing Guard Supervisor to review annually the school- crossing guard procedure for updates in any duty or responsibility.


    5. Locations Requiring School-Crossing Guards


      1. School crossing guard locations shall be established by the Sheriff’s Office, following a request from:


        1. Monroe County School Board

        2. Private School

        3. Parents or citizen groups – The principal of the school the guard is requested for will be contacted for their need assessment.


      2. The School Crossing Guard’s immediate supervisor will conduct a needs assessment considering the traffic flow and volume, student foot traffic, school specific vehicle traffic and staffing requirements.


      3. Approval of such request will be made based on the needs assessment and available funding.

    6. Selecting School-Crossing Guards


      1. Private citizens who wish to be employed by the Sheriff's Office as school-crossing guards shall be required to complete the following testing. This shall include, but is not limited to;


        1. Fingerprint check

        2. Criminal History

        3. Drug screen


      2. The Sheriff shall consider the applicant’s knowledge, skills and abilities to perform the duties of the school-crossing guard position, then make his decision.


    7. School-Crossing Guard Uniforms

      1. All school-crossing guards shall be issued uniforms and equipment.

      2. The school-crossing guards shall be required to wear the uniforms, orange gloves and traffic vest in an effort to assist motorists in recognizing them in time to respond to their signals.